1935]          Norton,-The Botanical Survey of Maine                  7

   It would appear that Aaron had looked upon Dr. Holmes as a
 logical, or possible competitor for the appointment of State Botanist.
 This is shown by the following letter, as well as the fact that a real
 competitor lay in the offing.
       SWinthrop July 8, 1847.
 Dr. Young.
   My Dear Sir-
     While at Augusta yesterday I recd. your letter of July 2d. & after I
 returned this morning I recd. yours of June 27 to the care of friend Hamlin.
 So the last was first this time. I am not a competitor against you & was
 greatly surprised that any body came forward to trip up your heels-but
 such is the way of the world, there is always somebody ready to plunge
 into the pool of public pap (if it is ever so little a one) after it has been
 stirred by the political angels. Never mind. I hope your bill succeeded
 in obtaining the mission & that you will find the top rock of Katahdin,
 coast down the St. John from source to mouth, and home by way of the
 islands & by the way stop right here. While I think of it & put down
 upon your list of plants Subularia Aquatica, Mr. Nuttall1 gave me a
 specimen of this plant 24 years ago, which he had found in a pond in
 Waterford, Oxd Co., in this State & told me that he had never seen it
 before except in some of the small lakes in the north of Europe.
   I will do what I can for you in obtaining the appointment.
                                     In much haste, yours &c.
                                              Ezekiel Holmes.
   Before the ink of the official signature was dry, Dr. George C.
Swallow, then a teacher at Brunswick, had appeared in the halls of
the legislature as a candidate for the appointment. This incident
seems to have caused some excitement among the friends of Aaron
Young. Mr. Hanlin was absent, but other loyal friends were present
and advised Aaron to act promptly.
                        Augusta July 3d 1847.
Dear Sir
  Mr. Hamlin has no doubt informed you of the success of your petition
by the passage of the resolve reported by the Committee.
  By that resolve you are assured the Gov. & Council have authority to
appoint whom they please to make the survey &c., as therein provided.
  1 In 1800 a post office was established at Waterford which became a mail distribut-
ing station, reached by a "post rider" on horseback from Portland; his route passed
through Standish and Bridgton. He returned through Norway, Paris, Hebron,
Poland, New Gloucester and Gray. In 1820 a four-horse coach or stage was put on
the route. (Lapham. Hist. Paris. 266).
  Another road, from the "White Mountains," through Conway entered Maine at
Fryeburg and continued to Portland through Standish
  A letter from L. Willis to Mr. Elijah L. Hamlin, July 15, 1824, stated that Mr.
Nuttall of Cambridge would visit Paris in a few weeks for the purpose of viewing
Mount Mica where tourmaline had been discovered four years earlier. John Pedrick
of Salem wrote Mr. Hamlin August 10, 1824. that Professor Nuttall had started for
Franconia and Paris. (Hist Mount Mica, 19.)
  It would seem that Mr. Nuttall had taken passage from Franconia to Standish,
thence the stage to Waterford, remaining over night, which allowed time for explora-
tion of the pond where he found Subularia before continuing on his journey to Paris.